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Fear of noise pollution prompts residents to object to proposed Sandown substation

Abed Ahmed

Eskom’s Maningi substation proposed for Adolf Street, Sandown received more objections to its application to rezone from Residential 1 to Special.

Now that the deadline is over, residents will have to wait and see whether their efforts have hit a brick wall, or a beneficial agreement between Eskom and residents can be reached.
The three-storey substation will be located between Sandown high school and Grayston preparatory, and has received authorisation from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
But on behalf of residents of Sandown Extension 24 the Greater Sandown Homeowners Association (GSHA) has again lodged objections to the substation application.
GSHA’s Jeff Foreman launched the objections, while residents Alan Mantle and Audrey Brauer appealed the authorisation from environmental affairs.
The objections state that no further non-residential development was permitted outside the existing footprint of non-residential development, according to City of Johannesburg’s Regional Spatial Development Framework for 2009/2010.
According to the objections, the proposed design of the substation is of an industrial building which is in direct conflict with the current character of the surrounding properties and the suburb.
Foreman said the construction and operation of an electricity substation would generate a substantial increase in noise levels. This has been raised at meetings with Eskom, which has given no guarantee of an adequate noise reduction.
These are just few of the many issues pertaining to the substation being built. Other objections are health risks, property devaluation, school proximity, safety and security.
abed@caxton.co.za

Published on March 4, 2010 at 4:52 pm